Bunk bed ladder guard and bracket structure



Nov. 14, J. B. VON CANON, JR BUNK BED LADDER GUARD AND BRACKET STRUCTUREA"fFilecl Oct. 24, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y, Y, A/ Flc. 6

76 @ma 1.27:: 7B H6 Il 'l Il l1 INV ENTOR J. Bobbif Von Canon,Jr.

ATTORNEY S J. B. VON CANON, JR

BUNK BED LADDER GUARD AND BRACKET STRUCTURE Nov. 14, 1961 2Sheets-Shea?` 2 Filed OGb. 24, 1958 J. Bobbif Von Canon,Jr.

1Ml BY fj ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,008,534 BUNK BED LADDER GUARDAND BRACKET STRUCTURE 'John BobbittVon Canon, Jr., P.O. Box 223, WestEnd, N.C. vFiled Oct. 24, 1958, Ser. No. 769,397 7 Claims. (Cl. 182-106)This invention relates` to improvements in beddingl and in particular toanvimproved bunk bed ladder and guard construction.

Bunk beds .usually are provided with some form of guard .meansparticularly on the upper bunk to prevent the occupant from fall-ingout. Further they ymust be provided witha ladder means for assistance inentering and leaving the upper bunk. The guard means compriseattachments iixed to the frame of the bed and extending horizontally,along the side rail in spaced relationship thereabove. In someinstances these guard structures extend the full length of the bed andmight be attached for lexample Vto the head and foot boards. In otherinstances the guardrail comprises a member attached by a bracestructuredirectly to the side rail and extending thereabove; in many instancesonly a part of the distance therealong.

The vladder constructions which are employed consist of means which areusually connected to the rail of the upper bed of bunk by |a hook andrest on the door spaced from the bunks laterally to provide a stair-likeconstruction leading up to the upper bunk.

The ladder structure and the side guard rail structure provide abutmentswhich interfere with the making of the beds by the housewife. Further,the ladder structure projects out into the room and is undesirable onthis accord.

One object of the instant invention accordingly is to provide a bunk bedguard and ladder structure which is not so connected to the bed as toconstitute an impediment to the making of the bed, that is, the dressingof the bed or other operations usually performed on beds and mattresses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a ladder structure whichis used with bunk beds, which does not project out into the room, whichoccupies a minimum space, and less floor space than previously required.

A further object of thev invention is to provide a single unit whichincludes a combination ladder and guard rail.

-It is alsol an object of the invention to provide a combination bunkbed ladder and guard construction which is readily removable bythehousewife for the making or Adressing of the bed and readilyreatt'achable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guard rail and ladderstructure which is adjustable for use with thickvaswell as averagebedding and which does-not interfere with the mattresses. The knownguards are useless with thick bedding.

Onel other object of the invention is to provide a bunk bed ladder andguard structure including a guard means which is readily detachable fromthe ladder in the event theuse of the: guard provided is not desirable,or for packing, or in caseswhere it is deemed desirable to consult oradrninisiterwith whoevermightbe in the upper bunk.

A-stilll further object of the invention is to provide a bunk bed ladderandguard rail construction which `is adapted tofbeshipped -with bunkbeds and which `does not undesirably increase the vsize of the packagingor the amount of packaging needed.

Yet another object of the invention is tor provide a bunk bed andguardrail structure which is adapted to be shippedv in amore compactform than that heretofore known.

It lisalso an object of the invention'to Vprovide a ladder :bed or therails.

3,008,534 Patented Nov. 14, 19,61

,and guard yrail construction which will take less storage .space whenthe bunks are used as twin bedsffor example.

An additional object of the inventionisto vprovidea bracket means:forattachment of a combination bunk bed guard and ladder structure tobunk bed side railsr having all the well known types of construction.According to this object a single construction fora Yguard rail andladder can be provided for use with all known bunk beds, yet a secure`.attachment of ithe ladder and guard structure to the bunk beds isassured. A reduction in cost and pack-aging `problems is :obvious ,withsuch an advantage.

The invention has among its other objects the provision of ladder andguard rail structure which willnot warp.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bunk bed and ladder andguard structure which isv adaptable for beds having many diiferentformsof side railstructure yet which does not involve moving parts,`relativelyadjustable means, or nuts, bolts, etc., .which functionasadjustable clamps or must be adjusted to accommodate the bed rails.

According to the invention means are ,provided which requiresimplecontact only to assure a true proper ,connection betweenthe ladderand the rail.

As with all material that is shipped even inan unassembled manner,ywhich has become quite the custom., in the modernhandling of furniture,particularly `that-of the juvenile type, the problem of packagingbecomes more and more Vacute as the cost'of labor and shipping rises.Bunk bed ladders and guards have been considered a necessary evil so far.as shipping in concerned and have raised the cost of shipping inhandling bunk beds. According to this invention the increase in cost `islowered considerably due to the compactness of arrangementprovided.

Further, the compactness of structure results in amore satisfactory,arrangement from the users standpoint, particularly in the smallIroorns which are apt to be found in todays home the projections ofladders, etc., are all inlportant. Reductions in size thereof varedesirable. All

wards.

An additional object of the invention is to provide a ladder which .ismore securely braced against the bed than heretofore. p

An additional object of thisinvention is to provide a ladder and guardrail construction which can be easily Yet a still furtherobject of theinvention'is to provide a ladder and guard rail structure which will notmar the It is well known that the known constructions usually quicklymar the furniture.

Still another object of the invention is tok provide a yladder and guardrail structure which can be made from lesslumber lthan heretofore knownconstructions and which requiresless labor.`

Yet a furtherobject vof the invention is to provide asinglesizedladderand .guard rail construction'ffor all beds. Usuallyamanufacturer must make several sizes.

Further objects of the invention includelto` provide a structurewhieh isless apt to'walk than heretofore known constructions and which.willgivea neater display in a market or store.

These and'other objects and advantages will become apparent from thefollowingdescrip-tion andithe accomp-anying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a small scale perspective view of a bunk bed having thecombination ladder and guard off the instant invention attached thereto.

FIGURE 2 is a larger scale sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIGURE1.

FIGURE Y3 is a fragmentary sectional view on a scale -of the order ofFIGURE 2 illustrating another use of a lbracket structure of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 3 but showing the use of thebracket construction in still another v manner.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view of the bracket on the -sarne scale asFIGURE 2.

FIGURE 11 is a View similar to FIGURE 8 but showing another type ofladder and guard rail construction.

Bunk beds, as is well known in the art and to the home owner, comprise apair of substantially duplicate beds 10,

`12 having side rails such as 14. The beds are formed so that the headand Afoot boards of one bunk are adapted to be interlockingly engagedwith the head and foot board of the other bunk so that they can bearranged one on top `of the other as illustrated in FIGURE 1. -of thisof course is to save `space in small bedrooms. Rail 'I'he purpose 14 inthe embodiment illustrated in FIGURE l is a wooden rail and the framesare wooden frames. The -rail is a llat board member which is commonlyemployed in bedding (see also FIGURE 2).

FIGURES and 1l illustrate forms of ladder and guard rail structureheretofore employed for many years in the art. In FIGURE 10 there isdepicted a ladder 16 .which has upper hook ends 18 and 20 which engagethe side rail 22. These hook ends are adapted to be placed over the topof the side rail. The ladder has slanted feet 24 and 26. The ladder isseen to assume the usual angle with regard to the bed and must projectout into the room in order to be reasonably securely attached to thebed.

Guard rail 28 constitutes a lateral member made of wood which has hookedends 30, 32 which hook over the ends of the head and foot boards. Thisguard rail must below enough to perform its function. However, itslowness results in interference with the housewife when she intends tomake the hed. Further, the long member is flexible and gives as the usergets into the bed. It must be removed to make the bed and must bereplaced. Also i-t warps and it slides on the head and foot boards. Thisresults in disiigurement of the bed. The ladder slides or walks on theside rail and also disiigures the latter and the floor. It is a sourceof annoyance. The ladder also is merely hung from its top and is easilydislodged by children, particularly in play. Often it will fall on theoor. Further, the hooked ends of the ladder are necessarily of such asize as yto abut against the mattress and interfere with the making ofthe bed. The ladder is a further annoyance to the housewife in that shemust Walk around the ladder while tending the bed, and the floorcontacting legs make it diicult to clean the floor. The ladder thereforeis often disengaged and placed against the wall or laid on the floor onits side while making the bed or cleaning. Furthermore, storage andshipping problems are complicated by the use of the long guard member.

In FIGURE l1 there is shown `another common form of bed rail guard andladder construction. The ladder 34 is of the same construction as theladder 16 and is subject to the same disadvantages in that it projectsinto the room and is apt to slide on the floor, is not really properlysecured to the rail, and further interferes with the making of the bed.The guard in this instance indicated by reference character 36consti-tutes a member lixedly attached to the rail 38. It performs apermanent, or at least a semi-permanent, attachment which is in the wayof the person who would make the bed and is apt to interfere with largeheavy mattresses. When the beds are to be used as separate single bedsthe guard must be det-ached.

A glance at FIGURE 1 will in itself illustrate some of the advantages`of the instant construction. Ther-ein the ladder and guard railconstruction is seen to comprise means fixed adjacent the side of thebed rail and in a vertical position Which does not project out into theroom, and is securely attached. Further an examination of FIGURES 1through 8 will disclose that the combined ladder and guard constitutes asingle unit which is readily removable from the bed, yet notaccidentally detachable, will not interfere with bedding, and has manyother advantages yas will be hereinafter apparent.

Referring now in particular to FIGURES 1 through 8, the combined ladderand guard 40 comprises a ladder section 42 and a guard section 44. Theladder section comprises spaced side r-ails 46, 48 and the rungs S0. Theguard section comprises the upper portions of the side rail having theends 52 and 54 respectively. The latter have notches 56 and 58respectively which in the embodiment illustrated are rectangular inconfiguration, are Substantially vertical disposed, and have their upperends open. The guard section further includes a guard rail 60. The :railis provided with a pair of spaced notches 62', 64 (see FIGURE 9) spacedapart `the 4same distance as the 'side rails 46 and 48. The notches inthe guard rail extend laterally therein from one side edge. The width ofthe guard rail equals the width of the notches 56 and 58 and likewisethe thickness of the side rails of the ladder is lthe same as the widthof the notches 62 and 64. As a result the guard rail interts with theladder rails to form the upper guard section of the combined ladder andguard. It should be noted that the depth 66 Iand 68 of the matingnotches is chosen so that the guard rail in its illustrated embodimentlits flush with the ends of the side rails of the ladder. It shouldlikewise be noted that the guard rail also functions asa hand rail inascending the ladder and swinging one foot over the ladder onto thebedding. J

The rear surfaces 70, 72 of the ladder side rails are provided with aseries of spaced screw fastener receiving openings 74 adapted tocooperate with screws 76, and a pair of brackets 78 and 80 are adaptedto be connected to the side rails by the screw means. The brackets, ofwhich one is illustrated in FIGURES 2 through 6, comprise a base 82having spaced openings 84 and 86 for receiving screws. Tfhe plurality ofopenings 74 provide for vertical adjustment of the brackets along theladder rails. f

FIGURES 3 and 4 illustrate that the brackets can also be reversed sothat' the flange construction illustrated at the bottom in FIGURE 3 canbe placed at the top as illustrated in FIGURE 4.

The brackets 78 and 80` which are formed in part by :the base 82 have atone end of said base a first flange 88 extending substantiallytransversely of the base 82 and a second ilange att-ached to the endofthe flange88 which extends substantially parallel to the base 82. Thedistance transversely between the base 82 and the flange 90, and thelength of the ilange 90,is chosen so as to accommodate metal invertedangle side rails`92 of the standard size employed in bed construction insuch a manner that the horizontal ilange 94 of the side rail'snuglyseats between the ange 90' and the base 82 and the vertical ange of theside rail 96 bears against the base.

VAt its opposite end the base 82 is provided with an wwwupstanding-third--iiange A98. .'I-helatter'extends substantiallylaterally of the base 82. A fourth ilange 100 exte-nds 'from the flange98 over, and-.parallel to, the base 7S. This formsa recess102. Asillustrated in FIGURE 3 therecess 102 is adapted Vto receive the upperportion 104 of Va vertical li-ange .106 ofan upwardly facing metal angle4bed rail 108 of anothercommon type employed in bedding. The vertical.ange 106 .bears against the base 82. This results in a snug associationof the latter with the bed rail of the type illustrated in FIGURE 3.

A fifth flange 110 extends outwardly with respect to the base 82 andoutwardly of the end of flange 100 in a direction substantiallytransversely of the base 82. The ange 110 in turn terminates in -a sixthtiange 112 extending over and substantially parallel to the base 82. Thesixth flange 112 is spaced from the base 82 a distance complementary tothe thickness of the bed rail 14 so that the rail can be receivedbetween said flange and the base and 'bear upwardly against the flange110. The rail 14 is of the standard size employed. The Spacing betweenthe tips of flanges 90 and 112 is suicient for passage of rail 14outwardly of the brackets after the brackets and attached -ladder andguard have been raised sufiiciently to clear the top of the rail and thebrackets, etc., have been tilted.

FIGURE 6 illustrates that the bracket 78 comprises a central preferablymetallic core 114 which is imbedded `in a plastic or rubber or otherresilient surfacing 116.

Further the openings 84 and 86 in the base 82 are counter bored torecess the screws. As a result there is no chance that the brackets willrnar the bed.

FIGURES 2, 3 and 4 illustrate the ladder and bracket in cooperation withthe three standard Iforms of said rai-ls employed in bedding. In allinstances the ladder abuts against and is Ibraced by the lower bed sidera-il 118 as well as the upper side rail.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the instant bunk bed and ladderconstruction can be adapted to any of the known bunk beds. Likewise itis apparent that the vertical adjustment provided for the bracketsenables the positioning of the ladder above the floor and immediatelyadjacent the bed. It does not project outwardly therefrom. Itis alsoimportant to note that the ladder is urged downwardly by its own weightand thus securely locks itself to the beds. This results in a securesafe attachment, yet the ladder can be readily removed. However, theladder must be purposely raised, tilted and moved outwardly of the railsto effect disengagement. It will not simply bounce off in play.

The provision of one size and type of construction satisfactory for allbeds has Idistinct advantages. No longer need Ia number of sizes bestocked. Thus mixups are no longer a worry and shipping problems areconsiderably reduced. Obviously this will also reduce costs.

FIGURES 2 through 4 also clearly illustrate that the instant ladder `andguard will not interfere with the bedding in the exing of the latter.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention itwill be apparent that those skilled in the art may make many changes indetails and form, and -therefore I claim an exclusive right to allmodifications and changes in form coming within the scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

l. A bunk bed ladder and guard structure comprising a ladder having apair of spaced side rails, means for connecting said ladder to a bunkbed rail, said side rails having notched means formed in their upperends, a guard rail member removably secured in said notch means andextending laterally across said ladder.

2. The apparatus of claim l, said guard rail having mating notch meanscooperating with said notch means in said ladder and snugly interfittingwith said ladder and being removable therefrom.

3. A bracket for supporting a ladder from bed rails ycomprising afbase,a first flange extending laterally of lsaid #base-anda second *llangeextending frornvone end of the first liangefparallel and over-saidlbasefor accommodating a side ,rail of, a bedin snug relationshipintermediate said secondflange and said base and invertically bearingrelationship `with said first flange, said base having adajcent itsopposite end a thirdliange extending upwardly from said base in facingrelationship to :.said

first flange, a fourth flange connected yto the end of said third`flange and extending over said base in spaced relationship therewithtoward said iirst flange and forming a pocket with said third and fourthflanges and said base for receiving the end portion of a flange of ametal bed rail therein, a fifth ange extending from the end of saidfourth liange opposite the end connected to said third flange outwardlysubstantially laterally of said base, and a sixth flange connected tothe opposite end of said fifth flange extending over and in parallelrelationship with said base, said iifth and sixth flanges forming withsaid base a pocket for receiving a standard wooden side rail in snuglitting relationship therewith.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 including said bracket means comprising acentral substantially rigid core and resilient cushioning meanssurrounding said core.

5. A bunk bed ladder and guard structure comprising a ladder having apair of side rails and intersecting lungs, a bed guard rail connectedadjacent one end of said ladder, said guard rail extending laterallyacross said side rails of said ladder and projecting outwardly of eachsaid rail, said guard rail being spaced along said side rails a distancefrom the nearest rung which is substantially the same as the spacingbetween said rungs, said guard rail constituting a hand hold means foruse in ascending said ladder.

6. A bunk bed ladder and guard rail structure comprising a ladderportion and a guard portion, said ladder portion having a pair of siderails, said side rails having notches provided in their upper ends, saidguard portion having notches provided therein for engagement with thenotches in said side rails for interlocking said ladder and guardportions together, means for removably attaching said ladder and guardportions to a bed rail with said ladder and guard portions extendingsubstantially transversely across the bed rail and said ladder having apair of brackets, each of said brackets being iixed to one of said siderails, said brackets having upper and lower flange portions extendingoutwardly with respect to said side rails in a plane substantiallynormal to said rails and adapted to cooperate with a bed rail, saidbrackets being reversible on said side rails with said upper liangeportions being engageable with one form of a bed rail in a vertical loadbearing relationship and said bottom flange portions upon the reversingof said brackets being engageable with another form of a bed rail in avertical load bearing relationship.

7. A bunk bed ladder and guard rail structure comprising a ladderportion and a guard portion, said ladder portion having a pair of siderails, said side rails having notches provided in their upper ends, saidguard portion having notches provided therein for engagement with thenotches in said side rails for interlocking said ladder and guardportions together, means for removably attaching said ladder and guardportions to a bed rail with said ladder and guard portions extendingsubstantially transversely across the bed rail and said ladder having apair of brackets, each of said brackets being fixed to one of said siderails, said brackets having upper and lower flange portions extendingoutwardly with respect to said side rails in a plane substantiallynormal to said rails and adapted to cooperate with a bed rail, saidupper flange portion being of a configuration different from theconfiguration of the lower flange portion, said brackets beingreversible on said side rails with said upper flange portions engageablewith a bed rail of one form in a vertical load bearing relationship andthe lower flanges engageable with a bed rail of another form in avertical load bearing relationship dependent upon the lposition of thebracket on said side rails.

References Cited in the le of this patent UN'ITED STATES PATENTS 8 WendtJune 28, 1938 Wraith May 27, 1952 Moss Jan. 20, 1953 Tepper June 2, 1953Warren Aug. 18, 1953 White Oct. 210, 1953 Lehman -Fan. 5, 1954 CogleyJune 24, 1958

